


The Eldritch Adventures of Elsa & Anna

by Rhaeluna



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Cthulhu Mythos, Existential Angst, F/F, Fluff and Horror, Horror, Monsters, Murder Mystery, Mutual Pining, Paranormal Investigators, Post-Canon, Sibling Incest, Sister/Sister Incest, Trans Female Character, Trans!Elsa, cosmic horror, pulp horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-08-03 10:09:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16324229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhaeluna/pseuds/Rhaeluna
Summary: Elsa and Anna hunt an unspeakable horror to distract themselves from their unsisterly mutual attraction.





	1. Murder on the Lonely Sea

Oliver remained on the creaky pier long after the sun had vanished, his fishing rod loose in his grip. His eyes fluttered, sleep drifting in the edges of his vision. The line of the sky had long since melded into the darkness, the only light to see by anymore being the glow of the streetlamps in town. He promised he’d catch something amazing for the anniversary—25 years now he’d been married to his husband, the thought still floored him--but he was quickly running out of hours by which he could make it happen. The sea, vast and calm like a sleeping leviathan, lapped at the wooden dock posts disappearing into the waters below him. 

Hav was quieter than most towns. The sky had darkened early given the time of year, and in any other port Oliver would have expected to be able to still hear the tune of shanties carrying over the autumn wind, but there was nothing. Arendelle wasn’t the loudest land to begin with given their relative geographic isolation. The country was so mountainous and difficult to travel that they were known more for their ironclad natural defenses and silent, snowy peaks than anything else.

It was part of why Oliver had moved to Arendelle to begin with, and the silence suited him just fine. He’d long since retired from braving the treacherous waves for hauls of fish, and he wanted to spend the rest of his time left in peace.

If only he could catch something. The old man grunted, watching the lure like a cat. The tide was high, and it heaved against the bulwarks holding the sea’s tremendous force in check. Salt filled Oliver’s nose, and he let his mind wander through memory and dream as he waited, a humble smile on his lips.

The water was smooth like glass. The stars were visible in its quiet waves, reflected in all their glimmering shine. If Oliver had chosen, he could have easily spent the whole night anchored to his spot. Half an hour passed. An hour.

Then there was a tug on his line, and Oliver startled. He stared out at the lapping sea, his bobber dipping under the surface. A grin crinkled over his bearded visage and he pulled, hooking the fish and beginning the tug-of-war that would decide whether he’d soon get a yelling earful or a soft kiss on the neck. Hell, maybe it’d be both. 

Oliver reeled, hauling himself against the weight of the squirming animal below. It fought unseen, hidden in the pitch, but he would not relent. Inch after inch, the old man brought the fish closer. Four feet, three feet! It was a strong one! Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and in his dusty old heart Oliver overflowed with the thrill of conquest. 

A thump shook the planks of the pier; Oliver yelped. His hands opened, and with a jolt the fishing rod shot from his grip and disappeared into the depths below, his fish escaped. The old man growled, and cursed at the waves. He whipped his head around, squinting through the darkness for the source of the movement. Who on Earth was stomping around at this hour? The shake felt big, like something had landed on the pier itself from high up or hit it hard from underwater. 

Oliver wiped his eyes, scanning down the dock towards town. He saw nothing at first, but as his eyes focused, a shape stood out in silhouette against the faint glow of Hav’s streetlamps. He scooted forward an inch, unsure of what he was looking at. A prick of pain flared in the back of his skull. 

Try as he might to see, Oliver’s gaze slipped off the shape like water. His eyes couldn’t hold it. He felt the ache in his head intensify as his mind struggled to fill in the space, and he alternatively saw the dark shadow of a person, a cacophonous miasma of whipping tendrils, and thousands of bright, pale eyes. Was it a trick of the light? 

He hadn’t any more time to process before the thing took a step forward, and the dock trembled again. It must have weighed several tons. Another step, another rumble. Thoom, thoom.

Oliver’s chest seized. His primal instincts registered the looming threat. Fear flooded his chest cavity as if a dam of fluid had burst in his brain. He shrieked, and stumbled in an attempt to rise to his feet. His legs were a mess of tremors, and balance escaped him. Oliver shuffled on his behind towards the end of the dock. He had to get away, had to run. Hurry, hurry! The shape moved as if it were sliding along cracks of paint in the landscape of reality, jerky but sure. He still couldn’t see it, not really.

The man reached the end of the pier. The dark, vast sea churned at his back. Sweat spilled down his face as his teeth chattered in his mouth. The fear was lead in his blood, and Oliver wet himself. 

The thing stopped when it reached him, its undulating, mind-splintering form just inches from Oliver’s foot. He was silent, his heart still with terror. Then it lurched, and he screamed. The shape made a wet, tearing sound, and opened its mouth. Or, Oliver thought it was its mouth. It could have been an eye, or a portal to somewhere no one came back from. He tried to look, he really did; Oliver begged the heavens to let him see his attacker before it took him, but instead his vision began to double, to break, and he just could. Not. See.

Swimming oily color spotted his vision. A wet trickle touched his lips. Oliver reached up to touch his face with shaking fingers, and found that blood was steaming from his eyes like tears.

Oliver howled into the night as the thing grabbed him with limbs that shouldn’t have been. Using claws, teeth, or perhaps even tendrils it broke him; his blood dripped through the cracks of the pier and faded into the abyss.

 

-o-

 

The autumn winds blew softly in Tjorn, the breeze made drowsy by its journey over the glaciers high above. The hovel of cottages was tucked away in a valley just an hour’s ride from Arendelle Castle, the road between them thick with the leaves of every crimson oak and maroon maple. The fields bustled with workers in the middle of harvest. Bright yellow gourds and heavy orange pumpkins dotted the rolling hills.

“Okay,” Anna said to the two elderly women before her, “give it to me again, but with less words.” She settled her hand on the hilt of the sword at her hip, frustration in the pull of her cheeks. She wore a royal purple cloak emblazed with the Arendelle insignia over an icy blue tunic and travel skirt.

There were gathered by the pavilion at the center of town. Kristoff shuffled from behind Anna, his arms crossed over his barrel of a chest. A chipped battle-axe hung upon his back, and he had the sleeves of his modified soldier’s uniform rolled up to this elbows.

The town mayor and a local farmer squared off in front of their eyes, sparks flying in the crisp air. The constable stood a few steps back from the commotion, and rubbed his forehead. A small of crowd of murmuring farmhands and craftspeople had gathered around to watch the strange proceedings.

“Winter’s nearly here, Brunhilde!” The mayor said to the farmer, “we don’t have time for your protests!” 

“You’re dodging the issue! The library we funded still hasn’t been started, and we haven’t seen the money since!” Brunhilde stomped her foot, hands on her hips. “It’s been two years, and nothing’s happened!”

The mayor pointed a finger in her face. “We’ve been busy with the harvest, and you’re only putting us behind!”

“If you’ll notice,” Brunhilde said, glancing at the workers around her, “we haven’t fallen behind, we’ve just been protesting too!” A round of nods from the crowd. 

“Sure, outside my house! You’re going to prevent me from getting re-elected like that! You’re disturbing the peace!”

“Well you’re not even acting like a mayor!” 

Anna sighed. “That’s not less words,” she said under her breath, her hand tight on the pommel of her blade.

Kristoff chuckled, and shifted his weight behind her. “Easy, now.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Anna cleared her throat, and the two arguing women faced her with a start. “Mayor Helena,” she said, “is there a reason you haven’t been able to begin the construction process yet?”

The mayor huffed, and frowned at Anna. “I already told you, too many things to do! It’s harvest!”

“You said that last year!” said another farmer from the crowd. 

“Hush!” The mayor snapped, “If you keep all this up I’ll make sure your pay is docked!”

Anna spoke up before she could say any more, her tone cold. “Should I remind you that interfering with peaceful protests is a crime, mayor?” 

Helena turned purple. “What? How dare you! This is a local matter!” 

Anna ignored her outburst. “In any case,” she addressed the entirely of the crowd, “it sounds like you need help putting funding into action. I’d be happy to send an agent to assist in getting things off the ground.” She locked eyes with the mayor and did her best not to blink. Whispering broke out around her. 

The old woman’s lips twitched as her face contorted in frustration. Anna raised a single eyebrow, her hand clenching and unclenching over her sword. She could hear Kristoff doing his best not to chuckle behind her. “T-That would be very kind of you, princess,” the mayor said after a long moment, “but I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“I disagree!” Brunhilde said.

Anna allowed herself to smile. “And so do I,” she said as she nodded to both women, her chest puffed up. “I’ll have a financial advisor come take a look at your books, and see if I can rally some workers to help with the construction as well. That should resolve the issue.”

The mayor paled. “F-financial advisor? Whatever for?”

Anna clicked her tongue, “just need to make sure all the money’s accounted for, you know? Can’t build a library with empty coffers.” 

A mix between a cry of anguish and a cry of defeat slipped from the mayor’s lips. Anna turned from her and stepped towards Brunhilde, unwilling to see the old woman come apart at the seams before her and deal with another outburst. 

“If you need anything else, do send a raven for me,” she said. 

Brunhilde nodded, and bowed before her. “Of course. Thank you, Princess Anna.” A round of cheers broke out from the townsfolk as Anna shook hands with her. 

With a nod, the princess turned on her heel and strode from the pavilion, her purple cloak dusting up in her wake. She heard Kristoff mumble something to the constable, then relaxed as he jogged up next to her and fell in step. Her head hurt. She felt squished in her skull, the cool breeze acting as the only reprieve from her headache. Anna made a beeline for the stables where they’d left Sven, her shoulders heavy. 

“The mayor’s definitely crooked,” Kristoff said once they were far out of earshot of the townspeople. “And did you see her house? Holy cow, the wealth gap here.”

“Absolutely. I’m surprised she got away with it for so long.” The old woman had probably been skimming off their wages, too. Of all the people Anna dealt with, it was the small town rich who bothered her the most. Thought they could get away with murder while hidden away in the nooks of valleys and mountains as they often were. She never got along with them. 

“Small town like this?” Kristoff shrugged, “I’m not surprised things can get lost in the bureaucracy. I asked to constable to do some digging before the agents show up.” 

“Mm.” 

But then again, Anna wasn’t too sure that she got along with anyone anymore. They were all so distant; nearly everyone she knew treated her with a mix of adoration and fear. It’d been like that for ten years, ever since Elsa’s coronation, and had only gotten worse after Anna became her sister’s right hand. Ambassador; knight. Negotiator; investigator; warrior; the voice of the crown. She dabbled in a bit of everything from convening with foreign nobles to resolving internal trade disputes. Always on the road from one corner of the country to the other. 

Meeting as many people as she had, she should have felt welcome anywhere. Included. Instead she felt alien, like a creature looking in at humanity from a glass tank. A memory of Elsa flashed through her mind’s eye: her beautiful eyes, her soft skin and brilliant hair. The timbre of her laugh, her scent after a hot bath.

Anna kicked a stray rock as she strode towards the inn. It bounced over the cobble and settled next to a tuft of grass. No, the depths of her depravity set her apart. She’d wished it away countless times, years on end, but it bloomed in her heart like a rose that wouldn’t die. The want; the love. 

Fire-colored leaves tumbled through the sky. The royal agents approached the inn and weaved around the outside to the stable in the back. Sven waited for them patiently in one of the stalls. 

Anna smiled as she approached him, and reached into a pouch on her travel skirt to retrieve a carrot. He nipped from her hands in an instant and make a guttural noise that she’d long since assumed meant he was pleased. She rubbed his nose. At least she’d always have animals, if not people. 

“So, what’s wrong?” Kristoff asked as he walked up to the stall gate and leaned upon the wood, “something’s bothering you.” 

Anna grimaced. Her eyes found the floor, the expanse of it covered in fresh straw. “It’s just the same stuff,” she said.

“Elsa?”

Anna hesitated a moment, then nodded. She lifted the wooden latch on the stall and beckoned for Sven to step out. He did, shaking his head and mane as he did so. He’d gotten so much bigger in the time she’d known him, or maybe she’d gotten shorter? She could barely see over his back anymore. 

Kristoff sighed. “I know you hate hearing this, but talk to her.” He threaded his boot through a stirrup and grabbed for the pommel of the saddle, heaving himself onto Sven’s back. 

He offered Anna a hand, and she took it with a grunt. He tugged and she flew, landing in front of Kristoff on the large saddle. Anna let her head fall back to knock Kristoff in the sternum, causing him to snicker. Years ago she might have thought their position sexual, but it’d been a long time since anything like that had occurred between them. “Kristoff, it just,” her words strained, “it wouldn’t go well.” How many times had they had this conversation?

The man spurred Sven’s sides, and the reindeer took off in a trot. They made their way out from under the stable and back onto the cobblestone road. “Come on,” he said, “the two of you share everything.” The townsfolk stopped to watch them go.

“What if she goes back into hiding, Kristoff?” Anna rubbed her arm, and remembered in visceral detail the years she’d spent begging her sister to come out of her room. Running her nails down to bruises from clawing at the door. “I don’t want to lose her again.” 

“You wouldn’t. She’s past that now, you know that.” They reached the town gate, and with a nod from the guards began their journey back along the main road towards the castle.

The pair had just returned from a month long mission in the north when Elsa told them she was understaffed and asked that they look into reports of corruption in Tjorn. Anna had arrived on her sister’s doorstep covered in sweat and mud but Elsa hadn’t even the time to turn around and look at her. Anna received her orders and was off. No hello, no sisterly hug. She didn’t dare show her hurt. 

“I’m not so sure,” said Anna. Elsa acted like she hadn’t even seen her. Was she just busy, or was she beginning to suspect that Anna’s love went far, far beyond the sisterly? Was it her disgust that prevented Elsa from meeting her gaze?

“Anna, she loves you.” Anna flinched. “Okay, sorry, poor choice of words. But I swear she’d understand. You two just, I dunno. Get each other.” Every hug they’d shared that lasted a second too long, every longing glance she’d given. She’d been so obvious, of course Elsa was bound to pick up on it eventually. Anna shut her eyes, and forced herself to take a deep breath. Be rational. 

The wind died down as the winding road left the valley and entered one of Arendelle’s many deep forests. What sun that remained as the season turned cold dipped behind the canopy of pine trees. The scent of aged sap and dry ferns wafted past Anna’s nose as she inhaled. She focused on the sound of Sven’s hooves on the path. 

“Who knows,” Kristoff said after a minute, “maybe she even returns your affections.” 

Anna scoffed even as her insides bubbled. “No way.”

“I’m just saying, you could be surprised.” Kristoff patted her shoulder, “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, and it’s practically salacious.” 

Anna flushed. “Wow, didn’t know you knew any words that big.” She elbowed him in the gut and hit rock-hard muscle. Tingles shot up to her fingers as she winced. 

“Hey, no need to be mean.” He laughed; it was a free, hearty sound. “What if when we get back we go burn off some steam by sparring? Get some blows in?” He threw up a fist, “then maybe hit the town, and you could flirt with some pretty girls at the pub?” Only if they were blonde.

Anna snickered. As if she had the heart when all she wanted was her sister. “How about we do all of that except the part where I flirt. In fact, I’d prefer to watch you flirt.” She turned to waggle her eyebrows at him. “It’s always good entertainment.” 

“Fine, you’re loss then.” 

“Sounds good,” she said.

“Great,” he said louder.

“Awesome!”

The friends descended into laughter. Anna rocked back against Kristoff, thankful for his warm presence. He was special. She felt the distance between herself and the rest of humanity grow closer around him, just enough to relieve some stress. He’d never get it, not really, but he was kind and listened to her express her messed-up self, and sometimes that was enough. 

They were catching their breaths when Anna heard the familiar flap of wings weaving through the sea of trees. She looked up into the canopy, and saw one of Elsa’s snow ravens sailing towards her. She lifted her arm on instinct, and the bird landed upon her with a quick flap of its feathers.

“Jeez, we’re already on our way back,” said Kristoff, “she couldn’t wait until we returned?”

“Hush.” Anna picked the scroll of parchment from the tube tied to the raven’s neck and unfurled it. It was, to her surprise, not a letter from her sister declaring that she’d discovered her illicit lusts accompanied by permanent banishment orders.

She was relieved, but only for a moment. Her hands began to shake as she read. There’d been a grisly murder in the small coastal town of Hav.

 

-o-

 

Elsa held the meeting room door for her guest with a radiant smile on her lips. The agricultural minister stepped through. She was middle aged, and dressed like she hadn’t ever expected to be meeting the Queen in her castle despite their frequent correspondences. 

“Thank you so much for seeing me on such short notice, Queen Elsa,” the minister said. 

Elsa shut the door behind them and led the minister back down the hall towards the foyer. “Not at all, I’m glad I was able to fit you in!” She chuckled, concealing with every second the exhaustion that plagued her movements and insides, “I’m glad we could get the documents in order.”

“Of course, of course! Let me know when you’re throwing the next gala or whatnot, I’ll be sure to send over the best produce we’ve got!” The minister bowed where she stood as the front door came into view. Elsa held her breath as she waited for her to leave. 

“Won’t you see fit to come along yourself?” The Queen asked. 

The minister laughed as Kai strode down the staircase to meet them. He bowed, and opened the front door. “Me? Goodness, your majesty, haven’t the time! Its harvest season, you know!”

Elsa nodded. “I’m well aware. Safe travels, now.”

“Thank you, my Queen!” The minister strode into the front garden where her attendants were waiting. Blood-red leaves floated on the breeze. 

Kai shut the door behind her, and Elsa let out a heavy sigh. She nearly fell to her knees right there. She raised her fingers to her temples and rubbed with her eyes shut, the tension simmered in her like hot water. 

“May I get you anything, my Queen?” Kai asked, frowning. 

Elsa groaned in reply. Her voice was quiet when she responded. “Thank you, Kai, that would be nice. Could you have some tea brought to my study when you get the chance?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

The Queen stumbled back towards the hallway, then stopped. “Oh,” She waved her hand in the air, “and send Anna and Kristoff up when they arrive. This matter can’t wait.”

“Understood.”

Elsa disappeared down the corridor, her icy train sliding along the ground behind her. She’d long since opted for magical pants instead of her ice dress, but she’d die before giving up her train. Her frozen boots clacked on the tile as she strode towards her sanctuary. 

Her hand found the door, and with a rush Elsa slid inside and shut it behind her, then slumped to the ground and buried her face in her hands. God, she was exhausted. Her eyes stung, and her back ached in each vertebrae. If it wasn’t the late-night meetings with the guard or the foreign relations secretary it was putting down her trade treatises to greet the minister of agriculture the second she knocked upon the castle door. She’d barely slept in the past three days. Her fingers trembled, and her vision was bleary around the edges. Elsa felt twice her age, her bones brittle under her skin. 

It would have been enough if that was all that bothered her. A full plate of duties lined up like knives. The day to day of ruling, nothing more.

It wasn’t, of course. Elsa snickered darkly in the afternoon light of her study, the walls stacked to the ceiling with books, journals, and priceless documents. A dozen empty cups sat on the floor by her desk where she’d forgotten them. No, it wasn’t just her workaholic nature. That was a coping mechanism.

It was Anna that had bored under her muscle and tugged the sleep from her for hours upon end. Worrying, wanting. The sisters had been apart for a month, and Elsa felt each day of her absence like the cold creeping up her legs. Without Anna she hadn’t anyone to eat dinner with in the morning—well, besides Olaf--hadn’t a bed to run to in the middle of the night when the terrors inevitably resurfaced. Elsa missed her sister like some might miss a limb. Anna was so busy, always running off on another caper, always burying herself in her work.

Perhaps they weren’t so different. Elsa ran a hand through her hair and stood up from the floor. She strode towards the window and pushed the glass open to breath in the sweet chill of fall. 

When Anna showed up at the front gate covered in sweat and dirt it’d taken all of Elsa’s self-restraint not to embrace her sister and kiss her square on the mouth. Determined, stubborn Anna. Powerful and kind.

A decade of beating around the bush, of wanting to spend every night in her sister’s bed, stroking the muscle of Anna’s scarred biceps as she nodded off and feeling at home. The dreams filled her with light, and with hurt. Ice bloomed where Elsa’s hands touched the windowsill, and she grimaced. A deep breath, and the magic dissipated. Feel and channel.

The magic flowed back up into her fingertips. It’d taken years, but Elsa managed to get to a place where she trusted it not to burst out at the most inopportune times. Most of that, she’d been reluctant to admit, had been thanks to Anna.

Her brilliant sister. The object of her lust, as if Elsa didn’t have enough walls separating her from people. She carried the means to wipe a country off the map in the tips of her fingers, something she knew her people could never forget, no matter what praise they leveled at her.

And she liked women. She’d nearly killed her sister. She’d been caged for years, unable to properly socialize. Her parents had told her she was a boy when she was young, and she’d fought them to be herself, Anna at her side. The list went on and on.

Was incest really so much to add to her closet? Elsa gazed up at mountains, ignoring the stack of paperwork gathered on her desk. She wished she could see her ice castle between the peaks; she’d been happy there, once upon a time, at least for a short while. She’d never leave again, of course. She couldn’t abandon her people, her Anna. Even if the people she’d sworn to protect and guide could never really understand her. She lived on another planet, in another world where trolls were real and magic could sunder continents if left unchecked. Where a girl could love her sister romantically, and long for her in the safety of a hushed, secret dream. 

Elsa checked her hands. The window hadn’t frozen while her eyes were occupied with the scenery, her heart with a fairytale. It wasn’t shocking. Her magic tended to flare up whenever she’d been surprised, or dropped into immediate stress. But this pain? Blunt plates of white slowly crushing her insides; the pain of standing atop a mountain with no one at your side, never to be joined? It was a hurt she’d endured for a thousand moons, and she’d long since grown cold to its turbulent agony. 

Anna was the closest thing she’d ever have to a companion atop her lonely mount, and Anna was the one person above all she wasn’t allowed to have. Elsa took another deep breath. She let the longing flow over her. Don’t dam up the feelings, she thought as she placed a hand over her heart. 

She turned from the window, and rubbed her temples. The room appeared dark after staring into the light so long. She had friends, Elsa had to remind herself. A duty, a life that was achingly beautiful in so many iridescent ways. The weight of it all tugged heavily upon her neck, her back, but perhaps all that meant was that the good Queen of Arendelle needed a vacation. Her thoughts had been so bleak lately, she could spare a day or two to go up to her palace and breathe. Something to spice up the endless bureaucracy. Time with Anna and Kristoff, even if that brought its own set of challenges. 

Elsa nodded to herself, resolved, and pulled back her desk chair to sit down. She’d take time off. The ministers could wait a day or two. But first, there was still work to be done before she could relax. The Queen shuffled the documents at the top of her pile, and got to work.

Half an hour passed, and the orange sun dipped further down the sky. Kai came and went, and Elsa downed her drink without bothering to wait for it to cool. She scratched out a letter to the Southern Isles, and made a note to get the trade route signatures on a ship to Corona as soon as she could. The back of her palm was stained black with ink. Scritch, scratch. Another paper; another. 

There was a knock on the Queen’s door, and her shoulders twitched. She knew who it was without having to check, and she felt her insides go cool. “Come in!” 

The door opened, and the light of the hallway flooded into Elsa’s study. It’d gotten darker outside than she realized, and she had to squint her eyes. Anna and Kristoff stepped over the threshold looking tired but alert. 

Elsa barely noticed the large man. Her eyes found her sister’s and for a second the world seemed to slow, and the pain felt like it might someday fade. Anna smiled at her, her eyes darting away from Elsa’s gaze to look everywhere except at her. 

“Welcome back,” said the Queen. She wanted to touch her, connect with her. Bridge the gap that flesh created between two people and their thoughts. 

Anna nodded, and finally let her gaze settle upon the floor. “Thanks.”

A moment passed, and Elsa shuffled in her chair. Something was wrong, well, besides the obvious. “D-Did everything go okay?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” Anna crossed her arms in front of her, “small protest, easy enough resolution. I’ll be sending some agents out to follow up on them soon.” 

“Sounds wise.”

“Thanks.”

Another pause. Anna kicked her toe, and Kristoff frowned at her. Had they gotten into a fight? Elsa thought she ought to speak up, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out where to start. The light from the hallway partially silhouetted Anna’s face, and Elsa wished she could see the internal debate that she suspected might be warring there. 

“Uh,” Kristoff coughed into his hand, “You needed to see us urgently, Elsa?” 

The Queen shook the fog from her head, and glanced at him. Her mind chugged, and she remembered the raven. The letter. She’d been giddy to send it, if only to see her sister again sooner. The news contained within ghosted through without sticking, the details irrelevant to her desire: Anna. 

The murder. Hav. “R-Right, thank you Kristoff.” Elsa cleared her throat, and stood from her chair. Careful not to look at Anna for fear she might embrace her, she strode in a circle around the room to turn up the gas lanterns on the walls. Soon the light in her study matched the hallway, and the deep shadows had all but gone. 

Elsa beckoned for them to approach her desk, and they gathered around her as she began to set out the relevant documents. Anna took her right side, and leaned over the table. She settled a hand right next to Elsa’s, their pinkies just barely touching. Elsa ignored the blush that rose in her cheeks. Get to business, even if your sister is here again for the first time in forever. 

“So what happened?” Anna asked, her voice neutral, “we never get violent murders in Arendelle.” 

“Well,” Elsa began, grasping for the original letter she received, “one of my snow ravens brought a message from the constable of Hav a few hours ago; a fisherman was found disemboweled on the shore of the fjord.” Her stomach churned as she absorbed the details anew. 

“God,” Kristoff said, “how disemboweled?” 

“I’d say quite disemboweled,” Elsa responded, “according to the constable’s description, the victim was missing most of their organs.” Elsa swallowed, grimacing as she read over the letter again. “It says that their ribcage had been ‘split like an orange.’” Anna stuck her tongue out, and Elsa gave her a look that she hoped would be read as a jest. “Normally I’d leave this sort of thing for the local authorities to handle, but frankly we don’t have a lot of experience with this sort of thing.” Elsa glanced at her sister, at Kristoff. “I’m worried that the kingdom wouldn’t know how to deal with this kind of news, so I’d like this resolved as quickly as possible before any panic or rumors can spread. No need to keep it secret, I’d just prefer that when people hear about this they also hear that it was dealt with effectively.” She took a deep breath. “Can you leave tomorrow morning?” 

Elsa looked at Anna as she spoke. Her sister’s eyes darkened, and Elsa felt the glass in her organs jostling. Back again, but gone so soon. They’d missed each other for weeks. The pain was clear as day on her sister’s face, and Elsa couldn’t bear it. She’d been so happy to have her sister back that she hadn’t realized she’d need to leave just as quickly. Foolish. Elsa thought herself a horrid sister, but she loved Anna, and it was clear that their separation was bleeding them both. They were family, and they hadn’t even had time to share a meal.

“I suppose,” Anna said. Her voice was just above a whisper. 

Kristoff nodded in agreement, his brow furrowed. “Sounds good. Can’t say I’m particularly excited about this one, but you’re right.” He glanced at Elsa, “it can’t wait.”

Elsa swallowed as she searched Anna’s darkening expression. She was sending her sister and their closest friend into a murder den, and she hadn’t even considered the constable’s letter long enough to realize it sooner. The details of her first read felt like dusted ash in her memory. Stupid. Would she even be able to focus with Anna on such a dangerous mission? Elsa had spent so many weeks of her life huddled in her bed worrying whether she’d ever see her sister again. Sometimes it was the simplest things: border skirmishes, one or two clean murders. Small, but still bloody. Enough to fear. She’d shed so many tears, and looking at Anna then as Elsa did, she knew her sister had too.

Ice was beginning to form on Elsa’s fingers when an idea appeared in her mind. It was crude, devilish, but it solved several problems at once. The thing wasn’t even fully formed when she began planning. “Also,” she said to her agents, “I’m coming with you.” 

Anna’s mouth dropped open. Kristoff stammered and stood back from the table, his hands waving before him. “Wait, wait, wait. What? Elsa, you can’t!”

“Kristoff, I’m the Queen.” The man sucked his lower lip into his mouth like he’d just eaten something sour. 

“Well, yes, but.” He shook his head, “Elsa, don’t they need you here?” 

“Perhaps,” she said as she glanced at her sister. There was a glimmer in her eyes, a fire she hadn’t seen a moment ago, “but I’ve been meaning to get away from the castle anyways. I need a vacation.”

Kristoff balked. “Hunting down a violent murderer isn’t a vacation! Anna, help me out here!” 

Anna bit her lip. “He’s right, Elsa,” she said, “Arendelle needs its Queen, and we can’t risk you getting hurt.” 

Elsa raised an eyebrow. With a flick of her wrist a plume of ice erupted towards the ceiling from her palm, freezing the wood in an array of icy knives. Anna and Kristoff stepped back, eyes wide as they looked up. “Who’s at risk of getting hurt?” Elsa didn’t find opportunities to flaunt her magic often, but she enjoyed it when it arose. It still scared her a little, even when it bent to her will. “I’m more than capable of handling myself, you two.” 

Anna frowned at her. “I’m not doubting that you’re strong, Elsa, I’m just.” She groaned, and raised a hand to cover her eyes. “I’m worried, okay?” 

Elsa sighed, and with an anxious heart reached out to rest a hand on Anna’s shoulder. “I’m worried about you, too.” She stepped closer, “let me help.”

They shared a look. Anna trembled under Elsa’s touch, and after a moment stepped closer to her. Elsa’s breath hitched slightly. “Okay,” she said, “but you’re not just doing this because you miss me, right?” 

Elsa bit her lip. Of course that was part of it, but was Anna joking, or did she suspect her of something more? Her sister smirked when Elsa didn’t respond, and she let out a curt laugh in relief. “Of course I miss you, you’re the most important person in the world.” Elsa squeezed Anna’s shoulder, but didn’t dare draw her into a hug. It’d been so easy to drape herself over Anna before, when had they lost that? “But I also think I’d be very useful for solving this murder quickly.” 

Anna’s smirk became a smile, and she mimicked Elsa’s gesture, resting her hand on her shoulder. Her hand was warm like a fireplace. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Then it’ll be wonderful to have you,” Anna glanced away, “I know I’ve missed you.” 

Elsa couldn’t help but smile back, a blush on her cheeks.

“Wait,” Kristoff said, “you’re serious? Anna, come on! This is crazy!” He threw his arms above his head. 

“Hush, Kristoff,” Elsa said without looking away from her sister. Anna giggled. It would be so easy to step in, so easy to close the distance and touch. Her eyes, her lips. Elsa wanted to plunge into the heart of them all and drown herself there.

Kristoff grumbled, and crossed his arms. “As you wish, my Queen.” 

Elsa barely heard him. She was lost in her sister’s smile, a smile that helped her forget the sheer irresponsibility of what she was about to do. Maybe Anna didn’t see it, or maybe like Elsa, she just didn’t care.

“We leave at dawn.”


	2. A Queen's Ego

“Your majesty, you must reconsider!” 

Elsa slipped out of her pajamas and, with a flick of the wrist, covered herself foot to clavicle in a skintight uniform of ice. Gerda fussed beside her as she dressed, the autumn light of morning just still rising over the sublime mountain peaks surrounding Arendelle Castle. The Queen stepped into a pair of knee-high boots that matched her icy underlayer. 

“I won’t reconsider. Tell the ministers I’ve left on urgent business in Hav.” 

Gerda bit her fingers. “Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for you to tell them yourself?”

“Ah,” Elsa said with a smile, “but then they can try to argue with me. I think it’s best if I don’t give them that chance.” She slipped her arms through the sleeves of a longcoat with tassels of mist-like fabric fluttering off the back. The pointed shoulders were embroidered with her snowflake sigil. Elsa smoothed down the thick blue fabric before tightening a matching belt across her waist. She was dressing for a week on the dusty road but it couldn’t hurt to be a little flashy for Anna.

“I disagree with this course of action.” Gerda crossed her arms and huffed.

“I know.” Elsa spun, glancing at herself in the mirror. She stopped before her handmaiden with her hands outspread at her sides. “How do I look?” The faintest hint of a blush crept up her neck.

Gerda sighed and stepped closer to her queen to adjust her collar. “You’re stunning, your majesty, as always.” Elsa smiled. “And as loathe as I am for you to depart like this it is nice to see you smiling again. You’re always in such a rut when Anna is gone.”

The Queen rubbed her shoulder as Gerda stepped away. “Is that so?” 

“Yes,” Gerda said idly, “now you shouldn’t be late. Your sister and Kristoff are waiting.” 

“Thank you.”

Elsa followed Gerda towards the door but stopped before leaving. She looked back over her room, messy as it was, with a slight frown. The posters of her bed, regal and old. The paintings of her family and the faint smell of chilly pine. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be away from her nest and as she stood on the precipice of leaving, the Queen felt a slight pang of sadness. She wouldn’t be gone long, she thought. Getting away would be good.

 

-o-

 

Many months had passed since Elsa had last traveled and she found the smell of the dirt and the land to be life-saving. Her spirits had swelled a dozen fold since she and her party left the castle, though not just from the open air. She rode atop Sven’s back with Anna, her sister’s warm arms wrapped loosely around her waist and holding the reigns. Every fidget brushed Elsa against Anna’s front and sent tingles down the Queen’s spine. Kristoff strode next to them on the cobblestone road, his eyes scanning ahead as their path twisted and turned into the distance. Before they’d set out, Elsa had offered to create a wagon of snow for Sven to pull them all in, or even perhaps two more mounts of ice, but her companions had declined, citing “icy butts” as the deciding factor. Elsa couldn’t complain. 

They’d managed to depart before anyone knew to look for them. The Queen had rounded the corner from her bedroom in a hurry and jogged up to her sister and Kristoff. Anna was clad in a brown and black battle skirt and a long, sleeveless maroon woolen cloak. She wore a short sword on her hip and two matching dirks on her calf. Kristoff looked much the same as he did the day before, his battleaxe strapped to his shoulders and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. They both wore dark circles under their eyes.

“Hey,” Anna said as Elsa approached, “you look good.” 

Elsa pinked, and covered her cheeks with a hand as she laughed. “So do you.” She resisted the urge to kiss Anna’s cheek. “Shall we?”

“Let’s.”

They stepped towards the castle doors. Elsa’s heart leapt into her mouth: she was really doing it, she was actually going on a journey with her sister. Nearly alone in the wilderness in the thick of autumn, the trees afire with red and orange leaves like a passage from a romance novel. Liquid guilt bubbled under her sternum but it wasn’t nearly strong enough to douse her giddiness. She practically floated across the floor.

“Jeez, Elsa, we are investigating a murder,” said Kristoff, “try to look a little somber.” Anna threw him a look as the red in Elsa’s cheeks deepened. 

“I know,” the Queen said quickly as she wrung her fingers before her chest. Stupid! “I’m just happy to be sharing time with you again.” She’d meant it for them both, but Elsa’s gaze locked with Anna’s eyes as the words left her mouth. God, she was so obvious. They hadn’t even left the castle and she was already an embarrassed mess. The Queen winced and felt her face go pale. 

To her surprise Elsa felt Anna thread their fingers together. She looked up and stared at her smirking sister with wide eyes. “It’s nice,” Anna said as she tugged the gaping Queen towards the door. “Let’s get going, though, okay? We’re losing daylight.” Hadn’t she noticed anything? Perhaps Elsa wasn’t as blatant in her sin as she’d thought. 

“O-of course.”

Kristoff snorted and Anna turned to throw him a look. What was that about? It didn’t matter; with shaky steps Elsa walked hand-in-hand with Anna towards the front gate. She had to remind herself that they weren’t going on vacation. 

The road to Hav followed the shore of the fjord and was surrounded with great ember-colored trees. Elsa could hear the waters rushing close by and did her best to resist their sleepy lull. The scent of dew and apples came with each breath. The sun was now high in the sky and she’d run out of stories that Anna hadn’t heard yet. Her sister was like a wall of coals keeping her warm and upright. 

Seabirds sang overhead, bobbing on the winds before settling into the tops of trees for sleep. The clop of Sven’s hooves was like a metronome. Elsa glanced back at Anna and nearly cracked her neck in doing so. God, she was stiff. The two sisters looked at another for a moment until the heat in Elsa’s cheeks became too much and she settled back into her reclined position against Anna’s chest.

“Elsa, do you need something?” The Queen swore she could hear a twinge of want in her voice.

“No,” Elsa let her eyelids droop, “it’s nothing.”

So the days passed and the weather grew cooler. Leaves burned deep, twilight reds and made the bright green pine of the evergreens stand out more by contrast. One day in and already Elsa’s back was killing her. She didn’t say anything, not wanting to look soft.

On nights there was an inn to sleep in Elsa requested that she and her sister take separate rooms, but on the nights that no building lights could be seen for miles Elsa erected shelters of ice and snow to shield them from the wind.

“This isn’t much better,” Anna had said between shivers, “I’m still freezing.” 

“Well, sleep outside then!” Elsa huffed as she unpacked her blanket. Anna batted her shoulder with her small travel pillow.

“At least let me sleep next to you for warmth, okay?” She asked Elsa in a hushed whisper, glancing back at their mutual friend. “Kristoff stinks.”

How could Elsa refuse? It was one thing to take precautions but when Anna asked there was nothing she could do but submit to her. The Queen spent the night counting snowmen in her head as Anna snuggled into her side, her arms pulling her tight. Elsa whined, her sleep kept from her by Kristoff’s woodcutter snoring. Anna’s breath came hot against her neck and collarbone and Elsa writhed as motionlessly as she could. Her mind filled with thoughts that plunged her into the depths of need and self-loathing.

Elsa dreamed of darkness and waves. She drowned under the crashing clouds of a storm only to be dragged from the depths by a vast, rumbling creature and thrown back into the sea. How many times did she die? Her eyes stung with sleep when she opened them. Her breath came short, but it quickly softened when she realized that Anna’s head was nestled between her breasts, a line of drool leaking from her mouth. Elsa chuckled and lay back down. Just like it used to be. When the same thing happened the following night, Elsa slipped into the woods to sob into a pillow and masturbate angrily.

It was the morning of the eighth day of travel when Hav finally came around the bend. Elsa’s joints bellowed at her like villages from tiny holes in her bones. They’d struck camp at the crack of dawn, their last night in beds nearly three days past. The outdoors were great, Elsa forced herself to think as she dropped into a long stretch of her hamstrings. Just what she needed, rickety pains and saddle sores. Her companions appeared unbothered, and for that Elsa felt a deep shame inside her heart. She stepped up onto Sven with Anna and they were off before the sun had fully risen over the skyline. A cool mist floated over the fjord ahead of them and made the opposite shore look like an island hovering in the sky. Kristoff was handing Elsa a slab of salted jerky when Anna began bouncing in the saddle behind her. 

“There, look!” She pointed into the distance. 

“Oh, finally,” Kristoff said.

Elsa snatched her breakfast from Kristoff with a grunt and peered through the thick fog as she bit into the tough flesh. She didn’t see it at first – the trees and hills looked all around like spectres fading into endless grey swirls – but after a moment the edges of ramshackle houses began to appear from nowhere.

Elsa let out a sigh, relief heavy in her heart. Hav. Beds. Anna leapt to the ground and walked beside Elsa and Sven with Kristoff. The road had long since turned from cobble to dirt underfoot but there it seemed even further in disrepair. Elsa made a mental note to send some civic hands once she’d returned to the castle. The party passed under a wooden sign that looked like it had once been very colorful. 

The town square was empty. Elsa glanced around and saw that most of the humble homes had been boarded up with nary a sliver of light peering from between the cracks. The party waited a moment, then two, and when the silence continued Elsa glanced down at Kristoff. She could feel her heartbeat in her temples. The past week had been stressful, but it wasn’t altogether unknown to her. Lust, loathing. But this? Realization was dawning on the queen like the morning and she half expected a murderer to come flying from the woodwork to slay her, or worse, her Anna. Someone had died in Hav. One of her people, a person she was responsible for but had never met. Elsa grit her teeth. Her motivations for taking the trip were impure, she knew. Flawed. None of that mattered however in the face of a real tragedy. Elsa took a breath and donned her persona.

“How do you usually announce your presence?” The Queen asked.

Kristoff grimaced. “Well usually there’s people around. What’s going on here?”

“There was a murder,” Anna said with a friendly barb, “weren’t you listening back at the castle?” 

The door on one of the houses across the square burst open. Elsa startled and let out a squeak but quickly regained her composure. You’re strong, she told her trembling hands, you have magic.

A thin, haughty man in a constable’s uniform stepped into the rolling mist and approached the party. His steps were the only sounds Elsa could hear besides her heartbeat. The man scrutinized them as he approached and Elsa bit her lower lip. He looked angry, which was probably deserved. The Queen glanced down at her companions for guidance but they didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. 

Then, as the man grew closer, his eyebrows shot up his face. “Your highness!” He said with a hurried bow, “your highness Princess Anna, thank goodness you’ve come!”

“Of course, constable. Our apologies for the time it took to arrive,” Anna said in a level voice. 

“Not at all, not at all!” The man looked up at Elsa, “and who is--great goddess it's the Queen!” He leapt into the air. “Queen Elsa!” He prostrated himself before her, his nose flat against the muddy ground. “W-Welcome to our humble village! I do hope you find it to your liking!” 

“Rise,” the Queen said, “we’ve come to help you in your time of crisis, constable.” You can do this, it’s just like your normal affairs, only bloody. “How has the situation developed since you sent for us?” Was that even the right thing to ask? She felt so far out of her depth; Elsa calmed her jittering hands with a deep breath.

The constable swallowed air. He clearly hadn’t been ready to receive the Queen and Elsa did her best to offer a warm smile and stave off an anxiety attack. Someone had been murdered, someone had died – it hadn’t been real until she’d seen it. So stupid. “It’s dire, your majesty,” the constable said. He gestured to the surrounding town and Anna and Kristoff shuffled closer to better hear his words. “The people of Hav are terrified to leave their homes, and rightly so! What happened not a fortnight past was the most gruesome event this humble fishing hamlet has ever seen! Worst of all, the perpetrator is still at large!”

The man’s eyes bulged as he spoke, his bony arms shaking with fear and rage. Elsa frowned but kept her lips shut tight, afraid of the wrong words. When the man hesitated as if waiting for her to speak the Queen threw a pleading look at Anna. 

“Do you have any immediate leads?” Asked the princess.

The constable shook his head. “No, no.” Sorrow was etched into the lines of his withered leather face. “None. It’s too-it’s too horrible, princess.” 

Anna nodded and looked over at Kristoff. “Can you show us the crime scene?” Elsa allowed herself to step back and let Anna take charge. She was so out of her depth she was drowning. Bodies? Crime scenes? She’s spent her life in a castle learning but there was still so much she didn’t know. Guilt ate away at her insides.

The constable lead the party through the half-crumbled homes towards a series of long docks shrouded in mist. The tide groaned like a corpse from beneath the oaken posts. They were nearly there when Anna grabbed Sven’s reigns and deigned him to stop. Kristoff and the constable kept their pace, leaving the two sisters behind. 

“Are you going to be able to handle this?” Anna asked Elsa in a whisper.

Elsa swallowed. The passages from the letter still haunted her. “I-I’m not sure.” She’d seen the dead before, of course she had, but a body mangled beyond recognition, their innards strewn across the pier for all to see and tread upon? She wished she never had to.

Anna offered her a small smile. “Yeah. You can never really prepare enough. If you want to stay behind Kristoff and I can handle this part.” 

Elsa shook her head. A fresh flush of shame filled her. What had she been thinking? “No. I may have come all the way here on some foolish impulse but I refuse to be a burden, Anna.” 

To her surprise, Anna only smiled further. “You’re not a burden. Never.”

“Anna, I’m horribly beyond my depth. Of course I’m a burden - you don’t have to coddle me.”

“Hey,” Anna took her sister’s hand. She was so warm. “It’s a chance to learn. Okay?” A seagull cried beyond the fjord. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Elsa allowed herself to smile. Kind, understanding Anna. The world had weathered her nearly beyond recognition but still the spark of light that Elsa loved so much glowed in her heart. “Okay.” She shook out her hair. “Let’s go.” You’re the Queen, Elsa. You have to set the example, don’t run away. Just think of it as a chance to spend more time with Anna. 

The princess bowed her head in reverence. “As you say, my Queen.” She glanced up at Elsa and winked for effect. The Queen did her best to hide a blush behind her other hand. 

Anna helped her sister down from Sven’s saddle and the three of them strode after Kristoff and the constable. Billowing towers of cloud loomed over them as she walked. Without missing a beat Anna slipped her hand into Elsa’s. 

“Remember when we used to do this all the time?” Anna asked without making eye contact.

Elsa swallowed. “What?”

“Hold hands.”

“Oh.” Elsa’s heart stung. She could feel the loss in Anna’s voice like a woven cloth of needles. “Yes.”

She inhaled the salt of the sea. “Touch used to be easier between us,” said Anna. “When did we lose that?”

Elsa didn’t dare look at her sister. “I don’t know,” she said in a mumble. “I’m sorry.”

Anna didn’t respond.

Elsa smelled the crime scene before she ever saw it. It was a perfume of clotted, blackened iron; it was like stepping into the sulfurous air of hell. She reached up to pinch her nose on instinct. Anna squeezed her hand. They stepped around a loosely constructed barrier and walked out onto the rickety pier. Human fluids were smeared like paint over the boards. Meat was everywhere--in the wood, on the boats, hanging in the air. It hit the Queen like the thunder of a drum. She staggered, kept on her feet by Anna. Elsa choked and she found herself retching over the side of the dock. The miasma of it buried her. She was vaguely aware of Anna’s hands rubbing her back as her blood thundered in her temples in its escape from her hands and feet.

The body--where was the body? There were pieces, so many pieces, but where was the source? The center? Elsa wiped her mouth and wobbled to maintain balance. Kristoff and the constable were already poking through the remains. Every so often the officer would chance a glance back at the Queen and each time Kristoff would turn him back to whatever he was looking at.

“I’m sorry,” Anna said. Her voice sounded muffled to Elsa’s ears. “The stuff’s rotting, which makes the smell even worse.” She almost sounded so at peace. How? Elsa felt a swell of awe towards her sister and her resilience but it was quickly drowned by her nausea. What had she seen those past ten years?

Tears pooled on Elsa’s cheeks. “This was a person,” she rasped, “all this was a person.” 

“Yeah.” Anna’s voice was distant, dissociated. 

Elsa struggled to steady her breathing. How useless could she get? Her gaze danced over the pier and tried to absorb more details. Three fingers missing a hand; six ribs with a lung nestled inside them. Iron and blood. A person had died. One person among thousands who died every day but this one was now ribbons. How painful had it been? Elsa stared vacantly at a chunk of what must have been thigh and reached down to touch her own leg. It tingled under her fingers. She stopped breathing.

“Do you need to leave?” Anna asked.

Elsa swallowed dry, bloody air. “If I leave I can’t help.”

“Elsa, it’s okay. You can still help. No one is good at this part.”

Elsa grimaced. “Anna, I--”

“Kristoff!” Anna called to her partner, “I’m taking Elsa back to shore. Finish up and report back as you’re able!” In the same breath she gripped Elsa’s bicep between steel fingers and tugged her fainting sister to her feet. Elsa felt her stomach turn as she hobbled back to shore. She was hyper aware of every pump of her heart, every churn of her blood. It was all so fragile, wasn’t it? Her bones, her muscles. They could be broken, torn, removed, consumed. Her body felt heavy like a weight on her shoulders. She wanted to scream out, to beg the gods to free her from its shackles. Her body had felt like a prison before but never like this. 

Anna led Elsa back into town where Sven was waiting. The Queen slumped against him for support and did her best to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and focused on the cobble beneath her feet, the breeze of salt off the waves. The smell was gone but she could still taste it. 

Anna puttered. She moved like she was planning to lean against Sven too but stalled and walked a circle around the town square instead. Elsa watched her with hazy eyes; when she returned the worst of the nausea had passed and Elsa still felt like a failure.

“Sorry,” Anna said staring at the ground, “the first time is horrible. I should have warned you better.”

Elsa ran her fingers over Sven’s coat. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Elsa you’re paler than normal,” Anna said with a dry laugh, “people say your skin is the color of fresh snow and right now it might actually be true.” 

“Good thing they’re all inside and can’t see me, then.”

Anna smirked. “Yeah, okay, you’re better.”

“Ehhh,” Elsa grimaced. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll ever eat meat again.” A vision of hacked up limbs hanging from butchers hooks flashed through her thoughts. She shuddered. She’d fucked up, she shouldn’t have even been on the mission, what was she doing? 

“I thought that too when I saw my first really messed up body. Then a month later I’m eating steaks as big as Kristoff.” Elsa looked bewildered. “Hey, you get used to it.”

Despite herself, Elsa laughed. Anna joined her and suddenly they were having a moment. It was all the moments they use to have, light and airy. It passed like a flash of lightning. “Is this what your job is like?” Elsa asked.

“Not usually. It’s mostly just listening to locals argue.” 

“I think I’d prefer that.”

“Ugh, no thank you.” Anna bit her lower lip. “Sure this stinks, but at least there’s no people around.”

“But you love people.” Elsa rubbed her shoulder. The smell of the carnage lingered in Elsa’s thoughts like a burn; she felt the intense need to shower in boiling hot water. Her body was unclean. 

Anna looked wistful. She rested her hand on the pommel of her sheathed blade and gazed out into the fog. “I do.” Her voice was soft. “People are fascinating and complex and capable of so much kindness, so much good. Most of them I’ve found are just trying to get by and doing their best to be good people along the way.” Elsa watched her sister’s face as she spoke. The muscles in her jaw looked worn beyond their years. “I try to remember that, especially when dealing with the nasty ones.” She looked back at Elsa. “But I can’t really relate to them anymore.” Her eyes were dark like space.

Elsa chewed the inside of her cheek. Without thinking she reached out and took Anna’s hand. Of course she couldn’t relate after all the things she’d seen. “I think I understand that.” Though my reason is far more grotesque, Elsa thought. She tried not to look at Anna’s lips. 

Anna went silent. Through the mist Elsa could see a blush growing up her neck. “Wait, really?”

Elsa cocked her head. “I think so?” Had she been off?

Anna faltered. “You can’t relate because, like, Queen stuff, right? Yeah?” Her hands clenched at her sides. 

Elsa was about to reply when a clattering of footsteps announced the return of Kristoff and the constable. Anna startled and slipped her hand from Elsa’s, crossing her arms behind her back.

“God forgive me, my Queen!” The constable wailed as he approached, “I should have warned you, I should have known better! To suffer the repugnance of the recently deceased is terrible and I could have done better to prepare you!” He bowed low before her, “I will accept any punishment!” 

“None necessary,” said Elsa, “b-but thank you for your concern.” Kristoff and Anna chuckled. “What do you have to report?” The Queen said quickly. You’re not in the way, she reminded herself, see how you can help. 

“Well, there’s not much left of the victim,” Kristoff said, “obviously.” He blinked at Elsa and rubbed the back of his neck. Elsa forced an image of tranquil waves to the front of her thoughts. “If I had to say what attacked him I’d guess an animal but it doesn’t look like anything was eaten. There’s tear marks,” he glanced at Elsa again, “but no bite marks. No teeth. There’s barely any sign of struggle, just a slaughter.” 

An image of a dozen blurry humanoids crouching over a victim broke through Elsa’s waves and pierced her skull and nostrils. She staggered, coughing into her hand and shook her head. You are the Queen, she told herself. You can handle this. Focus.

“I just don’t understand,” the constable said with sad eyes, “our town is small, we have little crime. I can’t imagine anyone here who’d do such a thing. It has to be an animal, it has to be!” 

Anna shuffled on her feet. “Find any leads?”

Kristoff smiled. “Yes, thankfully. A mess always leaves its history behind.” Elsa perked up. “There’s a faint trail of blood leading down a back alley towards the far side of town. There aren’t many buildings over there but our friend the constable here tells me there’s a large open sewer tunnel. If its an animal it could be living in there.” 

The constable shook. “Y-yes. It’s likely that whatever did this is hiding up in the tunnels. Or at least, they were at one point. The blood leads right up to the opening, I never would have seen it were it not for the keen eye of your friend here!” He patted Kristoff on the arm, “But it’s dark in there, a-and dangerous! All the pipes from the hillside manors lead down into it! It’s a labyrinth, the beast could be anywhere!” Elsa glanced up at the low cliff overlooking the town. She hadn’t thought to look before but squinting she could see hints of a castle peeking through the fog. Were the homes below it?

“Still, it’s a lead,” Anna said. A feral smirk broke out over her face, a fierce thing of sharp teeth and cunning, “and that means we can act. Does the sewer open out anywhere else?”

“No,” the constable said, “that's the only entrance that’s larger than a dinner plate.”

“Good. Then it's got nowhere to run.”

 

-o-

 

Elsa rubbed her hands together. She was sitting next to Kristoff inside a derelict home overlooking the sewer entrance. He was wrapped in his cloak for warmth, his battleaxe leaning against the crumbling wall. The ceiling was missing and they were exposed to the open air, but by angling themselves just so they disappeared into the shadows of the deepening twilight. The gas street lamps sprang to life as they kept watch. Elsa’s gaze bore into the darkness of the tunnel, searching for movement. A few times she swore she caught something but upon closer inspection realized it was nothing.

The sewer entrance had been easy enough to find and after a short debate they’d decided to stake out the entrance instead of charging headfirst into the blackness. Elsa was overjoyed at the suggestion. One look at the shadowy corridor was all she needed to know that the fear of it would be returning in her dreams. The hollow opened up wide like a gaping mouth with cracked, ragged bits of stone coming off the ceiling like teeth. A wind howled from deep within and Elsa shivered, but not from the cold.

When the afternoon had turned to dusk, then turned to twilight, Anna volunteered to get food for the party. She left with Sven and the constable, who promised to get her a fine discount at the best pub in town. Kristoff made a point to ask for mead with his dinner but Anna had ignored him. It was just as well--Elsa needed a moment away from her sister. They hadn’t had a long moment apart since leaving the castle and the tension was driving Elsa mad. She wanted nothing more than to sweep Anna up in her arms and run all the way back to the castle where they might continue their earlier conversation over hot drinks and a hearty dinner. Elsa longed for the touching of hands and the secrets she’d felt were about to be shared between them in that moment.

For once her lust was a welcomed distraction. The images of what she’d seen at the pier burned in her mind’s eye like poison. They lingered whether her eyes were open or closed. She didn’t want to see them and thinking about her strong, resilient sister--her Anna who could laugh at the sight of disembowelment--brought her the slightest modicum of peace. 

The darkness was nearly as palpable as the sound of the sea and Elsa groaned. “Are you alright?” Kristoff asked her.

She sighed. “How do you do it? Didn’t what we saw bother you?” Was it odd to come right out and ask? Elsa was ashamed to admit it but she’d had dangerously few conversations with the man since he’d joined the castle staff. Perhaps she ought to have started with small talk but she hadn’t the patience anymore. “The blood,” Elsa went on, “the smell.”

Kristoff smiled and adjusted his seat. His gaze never left the sewer. “It used to. You’d think this sort of thing would be unusual but it’s fairly common in border skirmishes that go badly.”

Elsa winced. She’d been told the stories, of course, in graphic detail even. But seeing it was wholly different. Arendelle was a peaceful land but in the ten years since her coronation, there’d been enough blood to keep the Queen awake at night.

“Anna and I have been doing this for years. Eventually it loses its sting.”

“Mm.” Elsa imagined Anna seeing a corpse for the first time or the first time she’d had to kill someone. Blood and life dripped down her fingers to stain the ground. How many had it been? What had Elsa cursed her little sister to by asking her to be her right hand? The tunnel beckoned her as if in mocking. “What’s my sister like on the road?”

Kristoff chuckled. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Elsa pinked and hoped the light was dark enough that Kristoff couldn’t see. “I-I would,” Elsa bit her tongue, “but, um.“

“Let me guess, there’s a barrier between the two of you that you don’t understand, some kind of unspoken discomfort that’s prying you apart and changing your dynamic and you’re not happy about it.”

Elsa made a face. “What?”

Kristoff shrugged. “Anna talks about you a lot. That’s how she tells it.”

Elsa played the words over in her head. “Oh,” she said quietly, “um, thank you.”

“No problem.” 

Elsa hugged herself where she sat. “D-Did Anna happen to say what she thinks that barrier might be?” It wasn’t a question she should be asking but she found herself asking it anyways. She couldn’t risk Kristoff suspecting her. 

“Uh-uh, no.” Kristoff waved his hand in the air, “you’re not getting that one out of me. You talk to her, okay? You used to be so close, Elsa. Come on.”

Elsa let out a nervous laugh as her insides twisted in helix knots. “I should do that.” 

“What, is Anna really that scary?”

“Definitely.”

The light disappeared from the town of Hav as the two watched the tunnel opening. Elsa yawned, her mind racing. Half an hour of silence passed and Elsa found herself being lulled to sleep by the waves on the fjord. Anna returned soon after with three heavy bags of food and informed her companions that the constable had retired for the night and put Sven up to stable by his lodgings. He did, however, insist that they wake him should anything happen.

“Alright! Fish for us,” Anna said to Kristoff, “and veggies for the Queen,” she handed Elsa a bowl of roasted carrots, beets, and cucumbers with salt and peppered potatoes and sweet honey drizzled on top. Elsa’s mouth watered. “It’s simple,” Anna added, “but I hope it’ll work.

“Anna, it looks delicious.” Elsa dug in at the behest of her wheezing stomach--she hadn’t even noticed she’d been hungry. The Queen kept one eye on the tunnel as she listened to Anna and Kristoff banter between bites of food, their merriment a chorus amidst a void of silence.

“Seriously, you had to get me the fish that looks like my dad?” 

Anna giggled. “I thought it would be sweet! Troll fish!”

“But it’s my dad!”

“No, it’s fish.”

Elsa smiled. It was almost like old times: jokes, food, and good company instead of looking for a murderer; instead of a human being opened like fruit and spilled over the docks. She shuddered. Elsa finished her food and caught a wink from Anna with a smile. Kristoff glanced between them with a knowing look. It occured to Elsa that perhaps brevity was their coping mechanism. 

With Anna returned, the night settled in like a thick shroud. Elsa watched her sister try to stifle a yawn as she kept an eye on their flanks and rear. The moon was high and the Queen was about ready to propose shifts for sleeping when Anna went rigid behind her.

“Don’t move,” she said as quiet as death, “there’s a figure standing on one of the rooftops above us.”

Elsa froze. She didn’t dare look. Her fingers raked at the sides of her arms as her thoughts burst wildly. 

“What do you see?” Kristoff asked, still as a statue. 

“It’s one figure, tall and lean. Large fluffy hair. I think--wait.” The world was silent for a moment. “They’ve got something in their hand, I can’t--I can’t seem to focus on it. My eyes keep slipping off. It--it might be a severed head?” 

Elsa sucked in breath. Blood and guts in the water, floating towards her mouth. She shook her head.“What do we do?” She asked.

“Hold still, see where they go. Don’t engage.” Anna’s voice softened. “No ice yet, Elsa.”

Elsa grunted in assent. “What do you mean you can’t focus on it? Are they far off?” Her hands trembled against the soft ground.

“No, it’s, I can’t explain, it’s like my vision refuses to see it.” 

“What does that even mean?” Kristoff asked.

“Hush!”

“Can we turn around?” asked Elsa. Her whole body shook. She couldn’t be still, everyone else was still, why couldn’t she just be still?

“No!”

A minute passed. Elsa counted the beats of her heart. Should she prepare some ice? Should she get her feet under herself? No, don’t move, don’t move! Her fingers began to freeze over against her will and she had to bite back a curse. Her eyes sank into the underground tunnel ahead of her, an opaque black spot against the darkness of the seaside.

“They’re moving,” said Anna, “they’re fast, they’re--” The figure leapt into Elsa’s view, dropping twenty feet onto the hard cobblestone from a rooftop to her left. 

Elsa held her breath. She couldn’t make out the figure’s details but the silhouette was clear. Long, wiry arms and a full head of tangled hair. Form fitting clothing. Her eyes followed their limbs down to their hands where a strange blur hung from strands of hair. Elsa looked but didn’t see it. At first she thought she’d turned her head too fast, but when she tried to focus on the object in the figure’s hands, her mind wouldn’t cooperate. It blurred and melted together, the outline fuzzy and irregular. The object twisted and warped in an amorphic blur of waves and lines. She tried again only for the inside of her skull to spike with pain. It was a head--no, it was a mass of teeth and eyeballs--no, it was ropes of intestine undulating around an eldritch, eight-fingered hand. Her dinner lurched up into her throat.

The figure’s head seemed to glance in Elsa’s direction. They stared for a moment, paused, then turned to face the open sewer entrance.

Kristoff cursed. “I thought whatever it was would be coming out, not going in! Anna, if we let them go in there we’ll never find them again!”

“I know!” Elsa heard her sister bouncing where she sat. The figure reached the opening. “Shit, okay go now, now!”

Elsa jolted. “What?”

Anna smacked her in the shoulder. “It’s ice time, baby!”

“I-Ice?” Elsa saw stars.

“Yeah!”

She slapped herself in the cheek. “Ice, right, ice! Okay!” 

With a barely audible scratch of metal, Kristoff hefted his battleaxe and vaulted over the partially destroyed wall. Anna followed in a blur, her blade singing from its sheath. Elsa nearly stumbled as she stood and leapt after them, magic swirling around her arms like serpents of ice and snow. The figure turned to face them and startled, nearly dropping the thing in their hand. They bolted down the tunnel, water sloshing with each step. It only occured to Elsa after they were gone that she could have frozen over the opening.

Anna cursed. “Hey, you! Stop!” 

“When has that ever worked?” Kristoff yelled back. 

The party leapt into the tunnel and gave chase, lights appearing in Anna and Kristoff’s hands. Portable gas lamps?

“Stop in the name of the Queen!” Anna shouted. 

The sloshing rang out down the tunnel ahead and in a moment of adrenaline-fueled panic Elsa hurled a bolt of magic in its direction. A spire of ice erupted from the side of the tunnel and partially obstructed the path ahead but the echoes of the retreating figure continued. She’d missed.

“Elsa!” Anna cried in frustration. Elsa burned in embarrassment and frustration. There wasn’t a thing today she could do right. Her breath came heavy as she tried to squeak out an apology but the words wouldn’t come. Anna and Kristoff darted ahead of her, neither of them winded in the slightest, and with quick movements they vaulted over the frozen obstacle. The disappeared down the tunnel ahead.

Elsa wanted to slow down but her panic wouldn’t let her. The blockage came up to her waist and couldn’t be crawled under so she’d have to go over. The Queen chewed the inside of her lip and threw down another blast to create a stepping stone: she sucked in breath as she stepped up, one, two, and cleared her ice barrier with a yelp only to stumble upon landing and go sprawling through mucky sewage. 

Everything ached, but there wasn’t time to think. She had to be useful, she had to prove she could do this. God, what a vacation she’d signed up for. Elsa wrenched herself to her feet and wiped grime from her eyes. Ahead she saw a sharp right turn in the tunnel; Anna and Kristoff’s lamps glowed beyond it. 

“H-Hey! Anna!” The Queen called out. 

Elsa raced around the corner and skidded to a stop. Her chest seized. Before her, three more tunnels opened up into great lakes of putrid water. She could hear her friends sloshing down one of the passages but lights glowed at the ends of all three and made it impossible to tell which. Had they split up? Elsa squinted to see by the distant lights.

“Anna! Kristoff!” Maybe she could wait, she could--

Darkness. She was plunged into black as all the lights went out at once. Elsa yelped. She heard a scream of pain far ahead; her chest thundered. She couldn’t see, she couldn’t see, where were they? Who was hurt? Had they tripped? Elsa turned around but to her dismay lost her sense of direction. Was she facing a wall or a tunnel? Her ice crackled at her fingertips, wild. 

“Hello, you,” a shrill voice said next to her ear. Elsa screamed and raised her hand to fling her magic anywhere, everywhere, anything to stop the fear. Ice rocketed out in all directions and shattered against the tunnel walls. She’d never had to fight like this before, what was that voice, where was Anna?

A heavy weight cracked across the back of Elsa’s skull and she went down. She splashed open-mouthed into the sludge. Anna, her Anna! Was she okay? How could Elsa be so useless, so inept? She was the Queen!

She had her hands under herself and ready to push back up when another hit collided with her head and she was out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been such a long time coming and ho boy I'm glad its finally out. Thanks so much to [Darra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darratato) for the detailed beta-ing, I appreciate you immensely!!
> 
> Next chapter won't have a four month wait since I actually know where this story is going now.  
> Thanks for reading, ya'll.
> 
> Cheers!


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